A Brief History of Barnaby Druthers Part One

Nutmeg Junction is an audio theater anthology program that airs on community radio stations across the country and after first airing in March 2018, has grown in the number of stations that broadcast the show and grown in cast members. In the fall of 2019, actors Humphry Rolleston and Devon Richtmeyer joined the cast and whenever new cast members join the team and demonstrate excellence in smaller roles and the willingness and interest to take on greater challenges, I attempt to find new ways to showcase their talent.

In October 2019, one of our cast members, Jerry Crystal, came to a Nutmeg Junction party dressed as Moriarty. As memory recalls, I considered recording the Sherlock Holmes story “The Blue Carbuncle” for Christmas but the idea never reached fruition with all of the other stories we were working on for Nutmeg Junction. All of this was in the mix when the concept of a humorous skit involving an amateur challenging Moriarty leapt to mind.

The name of Barnaby Druthers came at once and the script was written with few edits. In the script, Barnaby gives Moriarty the actual plot that Moriarty was working on in “The Final Problem’, the one Sir Arthur Conan Doyle short story that Moriarty actually appears in as opposed to just being referenced,

The character was instantly fun, the chemistry between Humphry as Barnaby and Devon as Irene was evident.

In short order I wrote Barnaby Doesn’t Know Jack” a short skit involving Barnaby meeting Jack the Ripper, played by the incomparable John Fabiani and “Never the Twain Shall Meet” with Barnaby and Irene meeting Mark Twain featuring Robert C. Fullerton as Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain, a character he has played before, Paul Starybrat as Danvers and David Macharelli as “Smythe”. David’s “Smythe” was so memorable and engaging a character that he has a recurring role in the new series, but I’m getting ahead of myself here.

The initial story was held together with narration performed by Olivia Wadworth. The narration provided these stories a more literary flair.

And thus, “Introducing Barnaby Druthers” was created as the first episode of Season 3 of Nutmeg Junction.

But more “Druthers” was to come…